Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
शिष्यश्च रक्षितो मृत्योस्तथाश्वत्थो वनांतिगः । किमेते नैव कथिता यत्त्वमेवं प्रजल्पसि
śiṣyaśca rakṣito mṛtyostathāśvattho vanāṃtigaḥ | kimete naiva kathitā yattvamevaṃ prajalpasi
Dan bagaimana pula dengan murid yang diselamatkan daripada maut, aśvattha sebagai pengganti seperti anak, serta orang yang tinggal di pinggir rimba—mengapa semua ini tidak disebut, jika engkau berkata demikian?
Ānarta (questioning Bhartṛyajña)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Questioning interlocutor (speaker of this verse; unnamed here)
Scene: A questioning interlocutor gestures toward the teacher, listing ‘śiṣya’ and other substitutes; the teacher pauses, indicating a scholastic debate. Background shows a peepal (aśvattha) tree, hinting at ‘aśvattha-putra’.
FAQs
Dharma teachings invite clarification: when duties affect ancestors, one should seek precise understanding rather than assume incomplete rules.
No particular tīrtha is praised in this verse; it is part of the śrāddha doctrinal dialogue within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya frame.
It raises the issue of additional ‘son-like’ categories potentially eligible for ancestral rites, prompting a doctrinal clarification.